CCS baseball: Leland breaks it open late, beats Wilcox in Division I semifinal

SAN JOSE — Albert Hsiao launched a two-run double to the wall in left field to break a tie score in the sixth as Leland advanced to its second section final in three years with a 5-1 victory over Wilcox on Thursday night at Municipal Stadium.

Dominic Flocchini was superb on the mound for Leland, but it wasn’t until Hsiao’s blast that he had a lead.

Leland went on to send 10 batters to the plate in the sixth and four of them scored.

The 2014 Central Coast Section Open Division champs will now play league mate Leigh for the Division I title Saturday at 4 p.m. at Municipal.

The score was tied 1-1 when Leland came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. Hunter Christensen reached on an error and Jake Dermer — who played on the Open championship team two years ago — smacked a single to left.

With nobody out, Leland coach Mike Sparrer considered having Hsiao bunt the runners over. But he thought better of it, given that Hsiao is his cleanup hitter.

“Obviously, you look at his numbers, he’s done that all year for us,” Sparrer said. “But I am not going to lie. You get in that situation, late in the game, with runners at first and second and nobody out, it crosses your mind. Is this a bunt situation to set up trying to score one run? As it turned out, obviously we don’t. We got a big inning of it.”

Hsiao’s blast might have cleared a fence at a high school field. But at Municipal Stadium, it simply sailed over the left fielder and bounced off the wall as the two runners sped around the bases.

“I knew it was a big at-bat,” Hsiao said. “I knew I had to do something. It was a tie game, 1-1. We’re at the bottom of the sixth. It was probably that or nothing. I’m glad I got the hit.”

Leland was in position to surge ahead because Flocchini calmed his early nerves and held Wilcox to just one run over six innings.

“I came in pretty nervous,” he said. “I hadn’t played in a stadium this big before. I’ve never played in front of this many people.”

Wilcox took a 1-0 lead in the first when Miles Wolf opened the game with a single to center, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Wolf scored on Jacob Martinez’s double to left.

Leland evened the score in the second as Ryan McCahan raced in from second while Wilcox attempted to turn a double play. Wilcox got the force out at second, but McCahan kept running home as Wilcox tried to complete the play at first.

After giving up a run in the first, Flocchini did not allow a runner to reach second base.

Sparrer called his pitcher’s performance unbelievable.

“I can’t tell you how many times I have sat over here and thought, ‘He is teetering on the brink here,’” Sparrer said.

“And then just finds a way. In almost every start, he has struggled early and has figured it out. He had the slider going tonight, which was outstanding, and spotted the fastball.”